U TURN
by emerheliena
Summary: An unexpected love suddenly changes a girl's life forever.


**U-TURN**

"Yuna!" Nuki called out.

A girl suddenly looks up from the book she was reading. And a smile quickly appeared on her lips as soon as she saw her sister.

"Nuki," she said as she instantly stood up and walked towards the front of the door of her classroom.

"Hi . . . what are you doing here? Is your class already finished?" Yuna asked curiously.

"Yes. Why isn't your class finished yet? Almost all the other classes in this building are finished. So how come your class is still here?" Nuki asked back as she tilted her head sidewards in a confused manner.

"Oh, remember I told you my class will be having a camping trip this Saturday. So were supposed to have a meeting with our teacher. He's gone to talk to one of the school administrators first. So we're all still waiting for him," Yuna answered.

"Camping trip? Sounds fun . . . So the trip will be on Saturday?" Nuki asked again.

"Yes," Yuna replied.

"Eh? That's 3 days from now. Have you bought the things that you will need? Have you arranged your things?" Nuki started to ask excitedly.

Yuna laughed. "No."

"Bad girl . . . How about we go shopping before going home? Tell Emer and Samar to come along. We will have a serious girl bonding time," Nuki said with a giggle.

"Okay," Yuna replied with a giggle as well. She couldn't stop herself from being amused with her older sister. There were times that she was more like a younger sister than an older one.

"Hey speaking of Emer and Samar . . . where are those two?" Nuki suddenly asked as she noticed that Yuna's best friends were not in the room.

"Oh, they went with our teacher to the admin's office. They are in-charge of the class activities remember. Hmmm . . . why is it you always forget all the things I tell you?" Yuna asked with a pout.

Nuki laughed. "Sorry. You know I have so many things going on in my daily life," she said again with a light laugh.

"My sister is being crazy again," Yuna remarked with a laugh.

"Hey, we're both crazy … we're sisters," Nuki said. But she then noticed someone in Yuna's classroom. "Hmmm . . . Yuna, I think someone is looking at you," she teased.

"What? Who?"Yuna asked. She then looked back at her classmates who were all busy their own things inside the classroom.

It was then she instantly caught someone was truly looking at their direction. It was Changmin.

Changmin was Yuna's classmate for almost a year now. He was one of the most popular boys in their school. But somehow it didn't make any difference to Yuna. She was more interested in studying than boys.

"Oh . . . him. . ." Yuna uttered with dismay. "Don't mind him. . . Maybe he's just waiting for the teacher to arrive. We're blocking the doorway remember," she said as she tried to act like normal.

Nuki gave the guy another quick glance before whispering something in her sister's ear. "You know, he's totally cute. And judging by the way he was looking . . . I think he's interested with you."

Shocked, Yuna looked at her sister with wide open eyes. "Nuki, stop it. You're giving me goosebumps."

Yuna slowly looked back at her classmates. She tried to pretend that she was looking at the window. But in reality, she just wanted to see if they guy was still looking at their direction.

But sadly, Changmin was no longer looking at them and was instead chatting with some of their other classmates.

Suddenly a girl placed her arms around Nuki's shoulder. "Hey, what are you doing here? Don't tell me you're spying on your sister again," Emer asked Nuki jokingly.

"Emer . . ." Nuki uttered happily.

"Hi Nuki," Samar greeted as well.

"Samar, Emer . . . I've been waiting here for almost ten minutes I think. So isn't your meeting going to start yet?" Nuki asked impatiently.

"Oh just give us another ten minutes more and we will try to finish everything as fast as we could okay?" Emer said with a smile.

Nuki smiled and nodded.

----- After twenty minutes . . . . .

Yuna was already strolling in the big shopping mall together with Nuki, Emer and Samar.

"Hey, isn't that Changmin?" Samar asked as she pointed to someone sitting in a restaurant that they were passing by.

The other girls instantly stopped walking and looked at the person Samar was pointing at.

It was indeed Changmin. He was drinking a glass of juice while obviously waiting for someone.

"Hmmm . . . who do you think he's waiting for?" Samar asked Emer.

Emer shrugged her shoulders. "Don't know. You know that guys is totally secretive. He is one of the most popular boys in our school, and yet he hasn't dated anyone. That's according to my sources," Emer answered.

Nuki laughed. "According to your sources? Oh my . . . you sound like a reporter."

A few more minutes passed. A young girl suddenly entered the restaurant and went straight to Changmin's table. She instantly sat down and started to talk with him.

"Oh . . . he's waiting for a girl," Nuki uttered with disappointment. "Seems he's already taken. Sorry dear sister. . . better find yourself another man," she said jokingly to Yuna.

"Nuki . . . I don't care whether he has a girlfriend or not. You're the only one who keeps on teasing me about him," Yuna said with irritation.

"Yes, I know. But I just think that the two of you would make a perfect pair. That's why I keep on teasing you about him," Nuki replied.

"Goodluck with the teasing Nuki. But you should know that your sister is only interested in books. Hey, I wouldn't be surprised if one day she suddenly tells us that she's marrying a book," Emer uttered as a joke.

"Ha ha ha, very funny," Yuna uttered with a pout.

Samar and Nuki both laughed out loud.

"Yes, somehow I can imagine the same thing," Samar uttered as she tried to control her laughter.

Yuna just shook her head. "You guys are making fun of me again," she uttered as if hurt.

Nuki lovingly placed her arm around her sister's shoulder. "You know, we just want you to open your eyes and try to see the world around you. Not everything revolves around books and studying. You should also learn how to enjoy life . . . . and learn how to love," she then uttered seriously.

Samar and Emer both nodded after hearing Nuki's words.

Yuna sighed. "Look, I'll get there . . . when I'm ready. Don't worry okay? Come on, I heard there's a new store that opened on the upper part of the mall. I think they're selling cds and dvds."

"Really? Well what are we waiting for? Let's go. I just hope that they have the cds that I'm looking for," Samar uttered with excitement.

-------The day of the camping trip finally arrived.

"Everyone . . . please remember to always stay on the camp site at night. Please don't go exploring on your own. And if you do want to explore . . . make sure you do it together with your group mates. Group leaders . . . please always monitor all your members. If you want to go and explore, please inform me first. I will be personally instructing you about certain parts in this forest that you are not allowed to go to. You can now unpack your things and rest for a while. Then we will start our first day activities in an hour," the teacher announced.

"Yes, sir . . ." some of the students happily shouted.

A few minutes later in the tent that Yuna, Emer and Samar shared. . . . .

"This is so exciting," Samar exclaimed with joy.

"Totally right about that. I can't wait until we get started with the exciting things that we planned," Emer added.

Yuna smiled. "This will be a totally new experience for me. Three days of camp life would certainly add a new chapter in my life."

Samar and Emer laughed. "If we didn't know better . . . we already know what you are going to do for the whole 3 days here," Samar uttered.

"And what do you mean about that?" Yuna asked. Somehow she couldn't understand what her friends were saying.

"Uhmm . . . let me ask a simple question," Emer uttered.

"Okay . . . what is it?" Yuna asked again.

"Did you bring a book?" Emer asked with a smile.

"Yes," Yuna quickly answered.

"Now that is what we mean," Samar quickly said as she lightly shook her head.

"Hey, I just brought a book in case . . . I get bored or something . . . or I don't have anything to do," Yuna tried to explain.

"Oh yes, as if we would actually believe that," Emer said with a smile.

"Hey . . . let's start unpacking. Then let's eat a little snack before going out. I am starving already. But let's hurry in eating okay. Our teacher might start calling us in a little while," Samar reminded the others.

"Okay," Emer and Yuna replied with laughs.

Their first day at the camp site went by without any problems. Everyone was very happy and enthusiastic. They played games, sung different songs, ate some homemade foods that some of the students brought along and told different stories about different things. By eight o' clock, all of them were already very tired that they all decided to take an early rest. All of them were very excited for the next day to come because it was the day that they were going to start exploring.

As Yuna quietly lay down beside Emer, she couldn't really understand the strange feeling that she was having. Somehow she was afraid of something . . . but she didn't know what it is.

The next day . . . . .

"Remember to always stay on the path. Don't go around and explore things on your own. This is a very vast forest and some parts are still dangerous. So please . . . please always stay with your group mates at all times. It is only 9am . . . You are all required to return here by 3pm. I will be checking the attendance by 3:10pm sharp. Is that understood?" the teacher said with a loud voice so to get everyone's attention.

An hour later . . . .

"My feet is killing me," Samar complained.

Yuna lightly laughed. "You should have brought two rubber shoes in case that one made your feet hurt again."

"Uhmm, yeah you're right. I guess I have to live with this rubber shoes for the next two days," Samar said with a sigh.

"I have a spare one in my bag. You can just borrow it later," Emer said with a smile.

"Really?" Samar asked with joy.

"Yes, of course," Emer simply replied.

"Oh, thank you. I really need a break from this shoes. I already have a wound because of it," Samar said with a sigh again.

"What? Well you should just wear a sandal or something. You wouldn't want your wound to get much worst, would you?" Emer said with concern.

"But I don't have one. Frankly . . . because of my total excitement, I forgot to bring a lot of things," Samar confessed.

"Oh, you silly girl. Come on. Let's head back to camp. I want to see your wound first. It may need some ointment or something," Emer said with a smile.

"Thanks, you're really so sweet," Samar uttered.

"Yuna, come on. Let's go back to camp," Emer said to Yuna, who was busy looking at a plant.

"Uhmm . . . aren't you guys going to return here?" Yuna asked curiously.

"Well. . . yes, we are. But Samar needs to change her shoes and I have to put some ointment on her wound as well. Why are you asking?" Emer asked.

"I'll just stay here and read a book while waiting for you guys. I am really too tired to go back. Is that okay with you?" Yuna said with a smile.

"Well . . . you would be all alone here. No, it's not okay. You have to go back with us," Emer said with a serious tone.

Yuna sighed. "Oh, all right."

Another hour passed . . . .

"Yuna, it's time to get up. We can go now. We still have a lot of places to go to," Emer said as she gently shook her friend's shoulder.

Yuna slowly opened her eyes. "But I am so sleepy already. Just leave me here. I don't want to go out anymore. I'll just wait for you guys to return."

Emer and Samar looked at each other.

"What do we do now?" Samar asked Emer.

"I guess it's okay to leave her here since some of our other classmates are here as well. Come on . . . I think she's really tired. Let's just allow her to rest," Emer said as she slowly stood up and went out of the tent.

Two hours passed . . . .

Yuna slowly opened her eyes. "Hmmm. . . Where are they?" she asked as she sat up. Somehow her mind was still in a mess. She couldn't think straight. She looked around the tent, searching for Emer and Samar.

"Oh . . ." she uttered as she suddenly remembered that her two friends have gone out to take a stroll around the forest.

Yuna slowly stood up and went out of the tent. She then looked around at the other tents. "Strange . . . why is it I'm the only one here?' she thought.

Then she came to one of the boys' tents, some of her male classmates were there. And they were all sleeping.

Yuna sighed. "I guess I shouldn't bother them," she thought again.

She just went back to her tent and took out the book that she brought along.

"I'll just read while waiting for Emer and Samar to arrive," Yuna thought.

But only half an hour passed . . .

"I'm bored," Yuna uttered as she placed down the book she was holding. "I wonder . . . what else I can do . . ." she started to wonder.

"Aahh . . . that's it. I will go around and explore the places near the camp site. I guess it would be okay since I won't be going out too far," she uttered to herself with total excitement.

She hurriedly took her bag and went out of the tent. Then she started to walk to the same pathway that where she and her friends stopped before returning to the camp. While walking she was still taking a peek every now and then at the book she was holding. Somehow she was too interested in the book that she couldn't stop reading it.

"Hmmm… this is a good place to take a rest for awhile," Yuna uttered as she slowly sat down below a large tree. "I think I will just read my book here until Samar and Emer pass by."

Minutes . . . Hours . . . passed by . . . Yuna kept on waiting and waiting. She didn't know why it was taking her friends so long to get back. She slowly stood up and started to walk back and forth under the shade of the big tree,

"What time is it?" she asked as she looked at her watch. And to her total shock . . . it was already 4:30pm. "They should have gone back by now. I wonder what happened to them."

She started to walk back to the camp site. "Might as well return to the camp site. It is already late. The teacher might be checking our attendance by now. Oh … I know I am going to get a big scolding for being late," she uttered with a sigh.

Yuna walked and walked until she noticed something.

"Why is it taking me so long to return to the camp site? I should be there by now? Am I lost?" she asked with fear already creeping inside her heart.

She started to look around. The whole place somehow looks the same to her. Same plants, same trees . . . she couldn't really distinguish if she already passed by the same place.

"Where am I?" Yuna asked nervously as she started to walk much faster. She walked, then she started to run. She was already very scared. She was all alone and it was already getting dark.

Tears were already flowing from Yuna's eyes as she continuously walked and ran from one point to another. "Emer! Samar! Where are you?" she started shouting.

Yuna turned from left to right. Somehow hoping that she would be able to see a familiar face, but minutes passed and she was still alone.

"Emer! Samar! Where are you guys? Please help me! Someone . . . please help me!" Yuna cried out. She was already feeling very desperate.

She looked at her watch again. It was already 6pm. She was already feeling very scared. She looked around from both sides of where she was standing. She suddenly started to wonder if there were wild animals in that forest.

Desperation and fear were already registered on her face. She started to walk again. She was hoping that she would be able to find her way back to the camp site . . . by miracle.

While in the camp site . . . .

Everyone was already worried about Yuna.

"What happened? Didn't I tell you to always stick with each other? So how come Yuna is lost and alone?" the teacher asked Emer and Samar.

"She was here when we left. And some of our other classmates were here as well. So we figured that it would be okay to leave her here since she wanted to sleep," Emer answered in between tears.

The teacher sighed. He then gave the other male students a serious stare. "What about you guys? Didn't you see Yuna leave?" he asked.

One of the boys just lowered his head in embarrassment. "We were all asleep sir. We really don't know what happened to her."

Samar and Emer started to cry. "Yuna, where did you go?" both of them uttered worriedly.

"Sir, aren't we going to start looking for her?" one of the male students asked.

The teacher sighed. "It is already dark. I have already called someone to ask for assistance. But we can't really do anything else but wait. We can't go and just search for her since it is already dark and we might all end up lost in the forest as well."

"But how long are we supposed to wait? Yuna might be in danger right now," Emer said angrily.

The teacher just shook his head. "Sorry, I can't allow anyone of you to go and look for her. More people will be in danger if we go out at night."

Then someone suddenly shouted. "Sir, Changmin just left."

"What?" the teacher asked in total shock.

"He said he can't possibly just stand around doing nothing when Yuna might already be in danger," one of the male students said.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier? I could have stopped him," the teacher angrily uttered.

"Sorry I just saw him leave a few minutes ago, he sneaked around so no one else would see him,' the student answered.

"And what were you doing?" the teacher asked.

"I just went there to . . . uhmm . . . you know. I drank so much water the whole afternoon," the male student tried to reason out.

The teacher quickly turned to the other students. "Please everyone stay calm. Help will be here in an hour or so. So please don't do anything drastic like what Changmin did. I will personally give you a failing grade if anyone of you tries to go and search for Yuna without my permission."

Emer and Samar just continued to cry and pray that Yuna was safe.

--------

Changmin walked and walked. He tried to make his eyes more accustomed to the darkness and the light that was emanating from the flashlight he was holding.

"Yuna! Yuna! Yuna!" he kept on calling out. He was hoping that she was somewhere near him. And he was also hoping that she would be able to hear him. As he continued to walk and shout out her name, his heart was continuously praying that she would be safe.

"Yuna, where are you?" he shouted out again. He had been walking for more than two hours, but still no sign of her. Fear was already building inside his heart.

"Yuna . . . where are you? Please be safe," he couldn't help but utter out in total desperation.

Changmin continued to walk until he heard something. He immediately stopped and tried to listen more carefully.

Someone was crying. . . He could hear a girl' cry . . .

Changmin's heart was beating very fast as he quickly ran to the exact spot where the cry was coming from.

"Yuna," he immediately called out as soon as he saw her all cuddled up under a tree.

Yuna slowly tried to look at the direction where the voice came from. But the light that was focused on her was making it impossible for her to see who was standing in front of her.

She tried to shield her eyes from the light with her hand. "Who . . . who are you?" she asked with a trembling voice.

Changmin felt pity as he stared at Yuna's beautiful face. She had some cuts on her face and even her hands had some cuts as well.

"Yuna, it's me. . . Changmin," he uttered as he slowly moved closer.

Yuna closely stared at the figure that was approaching her. "Changmin? Is that really you?" she asked in between tears.

"Yes, it's me," he answered as he moved the flashlight to show his face.

As soon as Yuna saw him, she quickly stood up and ran to him. She embraced him tightly like she was never going to let go. Suddenly all the fear she was feeling had disappeared. She was no longer alone. Someone was beside her now. And as she held on to him, she again broke down into a pitiful cry.

"Yuna, it's okay now. I'm here. You don't have to cry anymore," Changmin uttered as he gently stroke Yuna's back.

"Thank you . . . thank you for finding me. . . I . . . I thought I was going to spend the whole night alone in this forest," she uttered as she tried to control her tears.

Changmin felt his heart was getting heavy. He didn't like it whenever he sees a girl crying. . . especially not Yuna.

"Ssshhh… It's all right now. Please stop crying," he tried to comfort her.

After a few more minutes of crying, Yuna was finally able to stop her tears.

"Who are you with? Where are the others?" Yuna asked suddenly as she now faced him.

Changmin was suddenly caught by surprise. Somehow he didn't know how to tell her that he was alone.

"Yuna, the others will be here soon . . . don't worry," he tried to cover up.

Yuna tried to understand the hesitation and the strange expression on Changmin's face. Then she just brushed away her doubts. The important thing was she was no longer alone, she thought.

Another hour passed . . . and then another . . . .

Yuna sat quietly beside Changmin. They were now facing a small bonfire that Changmin had made. Somehow she wanted to ask something, but she didn't know how to do it.

Suddenly raindrops started to fall . . . .

Changmin worriedly looked at Yuna. "Come on, we have to find another place to stay," he uttered as he quickly grabbed his bag. He then put out the fire that he just made.

"But . . . where are we going to hide?" Yuna asked as she also grabbed her bag.

"I saw a cave not far from here. . . Maybe we can stay there. Come on, you will get sick if you stay out in the rain," he said with concern as he gently grabbed her hand and started to lead her to the direction of the cave he was referring to.

Both Changmin and Yuna were already soaked in the rain by the time they reached the cave.

"Wait here," he said as he went in first.

After a few minutes, he went out again and slowly lead Yuna into the cave.

As soon as they were inside the cave, Changmin just placed the flashlight on the ground.

"Sorry, we can't make a bonfire anymore. We don't have anything to make a fire now. The trees and branches near the cave are surely wet by now, so we can't start a fire using those. So let's just use the flashlight," Changmin softly said.

Yuna carefully looked at Changmin. "Changmin . . . no one is coming right?" she asked in a soft tone.

Changmin stared at Yuna. Then he slowly lowered his head. "Sorry, I lied."

Yuna didn't know what to say. She was stunned and somehow confused. "Why? Why aren't they looking for me?"

"Our teacher said that we had to wait for the proper people to arrive and that they were the ones who were going to search for you. All of the students were forbidden to leave the camp site. He said that it was already very dangerous and dark here in the forest and if the others went out to search for you . . . they might end up lost as well," Changmin tried to explain.

Yuna nodded her head. Somehow she understood her teacher's decision. But something suddenly made her more confused. "But why . . . why are you here? You said that all of you were already forbidden to leave the camp site. So how come you still came to look for me?" she asked curiously.

Changmin gave Yuna a quick glance and then shyly looked at another direction. "I . . . I was worried about you. Somehow I couldn't bear to just wait and stand around doing nothing," he answered truthfully.

Yuna felt her heart quickly skip a beat. She was so touched with what she heard.

"Thank you . . ." she slowly uttered.

Changmin looked at Yuna again. This time there was something in his eyes. . . Something that made Yuna's heart quiver.

"You don't have to thank me . . . I just did what I am supposed to do. I don't think I can ever forgive myself . . . if something bad happens to you," he said in a soft voice.

Yuna felt like she was melting with the way Changmin was staring at her.

Then unexpectedly a cold wind blew and made Yuna shiver.

Changmin quickly stood up and sat down beside her. "Are you okay? Are you cold?" he asked with concern.

Yuna nodded her head. All of her clothes were wet and the cold wind was making her shiver non stop.

"Sorry I forgot . . . you're wet. Wait . . . " he said as he quickly searched inside his bag. "Here take this," he uttered as he handed her a blanket. "I thought this would be useful in some way. . . I guess I was right."

Yuna smiled. "Thank you," she uttered.

Changmin slowly stood up. "I will just go out while you take off your wet clothes. Then just wrap yourself in that blanket. It's better than those wet clothes," he said as he started to walk away.

"Wait . . . It's raining outside. You will get drenched in the rain again," Yuna said with concern.

"Don't worry. A little rain won't kill me," he said with a chuckle.

"But it will make you sick . . . Just stay . . . here. . . Just close the flashlight when I say so . . . and you have to promise that you won't peek. . . Uhmm . . . you can close your eyes as well . . . as added precaution," Yuna said with hesitation.

Changmin couldn't help but lightly laugh. He then slowly moved toward the flashlight and turned his back on Yuna.

"Don't worry I will never do that kind of thing . . . especially not with you," he uttered.

"Okay, close the light," Yuna said.

Changmin immediately shut off the flashlight.

Within minutes . . .

"You can put the light on again," Yuna uttered.

Instantly he turned the light on again, and then he faced her again. Yuna was now wrapped in the blanket that he gave.

"Feeling better?" Changmin asked.

Yuna smiled shyly. "Not really. What would you feel if you were somewhat naked in front of another person. . . and the only thing covering you is a blanket," she answered as a joke.

Changmin laughed. "Yeah, I would surely feel very uncomfortable as well."

Yuna stared more closely at him. He was really quite handsome. Even his smile and laugh were both quite adorable and captivating. No wonder almost all the girls in their class was in love with him.

She suddenly turned her gaze into another direction as soon as he caught her looking at him. She immediately felt her cheeks had turned red because of embarrassment.

Changmin couldn't help but smile. She was truly very charming in her own special way. He then noticed something. He quickly stood up and took out something from his bag. It was a small medicine kit that he had brought along.

He then slowly knelt down in front of Yuna.

"Why? What's wrong?" Yuna asked curiously.

"I am just going to clean the cuts on your face. . . and I'm also going to put on some medicine on it as well. So don't move," he answered with a smile.

Yuna nodded. And as Changmin carefully cleaned her wounds, Yuna somehow couldn't explain the strange feeling she was having.

Changmin was so close to her that she could almost hear and feel his breath on her skin. She was feeling so embarrassed again. Somehow she could never imagine herself in a situation where she was in right now.

"Okay, I'm finished," Changmin announced as he again moved away from her. He sat down in a corner of the cave.

"Why are you there?" Yuna asked curiously.

"I don't want you to think that I am taking advantage of you. So it's better that we set a considerable distance between us," he answered.

Yuna was stunned with his answer. He was truly a nice man. A very respectable man . . . that any girl would be very lucky to have.

"Try to get some sleep. We will go as soon as the sun is up," Changmin said.

"What about you? Aren't you going to sleep?" Yuna asked with concern.

"Someone has to stay up and watch out for wild animals. Don't worry. I'm used to nights like this . . . I mean no sleep . . ." he uttered.

"Oh really? Can I ask why?" she asked curiously.

Changmin looked at Yuna again. Somehow he didn't know if he should answer her question or not.

"Because of someone," he simply replied.

"Someone? What do you mean?" she asked again.

Changmin laughed. "You're really very inquisitive huh?"

"Well we really don't have anything to do except talk to each other. So might as well take advantage of it. And besides this is the first time that I get the chance to talk to the most popular boy in class," Yuna said as a tease.

"Popular? If I am that popular . . . then tell me something. . ." he uttered.

"What?" she asked.

"Can you tell me why the girl I like doesn't even look my way. There are times that I actually wonder if she even knows that I exist," he said with sadness in his voice.

Yuna didn't know how to respond to what he said. Somehow she could feel the pain he was feeling.

"Maybe she's not the one for you," she suddenly voiced out.

Changmin stared at her. "Not for me? There is no other girl for me . . . I only want her. She's the reason why I am staying in our school right now. . . Somehow . . . I am still hoping that there would be a time that she would actually see me . . . notice me. . ."

Yuna didn't know why. But she actually felt jealous of the girl that Changmin was referring to. "The girl that Changmin is in love with is very lucky . . . very lucky indeed . . . I wish I can find someone who will love me in the same way. . ." she couldn't help but utter in her mind.

Another two hours passed . . .

Slowly . . . Yuna felt like her eyes were feeling very heavy.

"Changmin, I am very sleepy now… Are you sure you're okay to stay up all night? If you suddenly feel sleepy as well, just wake me up . . . Maybe we can take turns in sleeping and watching," she uttered with a light yawn.

Changmin smiled. "Sleep. . . Don't worry. I'll take care of you while you sleep."

"Thank you . . .It's been nice knowing the real you. I really had a wonderful time talking with you," she replied as she slowly closed her eyes.

------Morning came . . . .

"Yuna, wake up. It's morning already. Come on, get yourself ready. We have to go now," Changmin uttered as he gently shook Yuna's shoulder.

"Okay . . ." she quickly uttered while her eyes were still closed.

------ Minutes later . . . .

Yuna happily yawned as she went out of the cave.

"You look quite cheerful today," Changmin remarked with a smile.

Yuna nodded and smiled. "I had a nice sleep."

Changmin laughed. "Really? That's good. We must start walking now. I think I can find the way back."

"Really? Well let's go . . . I can't wait to go back. . ." Yuna uttered happily.

"Come on," he uttered as he offered his hand to her.

Yuna looked at Changmin's hand. Somehow she couldn't deny what she was feeling right at that moment.

She quickly took his hand and together . . . hand in hand . . . they traveled back to the camp site.

-----At the camp site . . . .

Everyone was shocked after seeing Changmin and Yuna together. They were all very happy that their two classmates had returned and were finally safe.

As Yuna was gently pulled away by Emer and Samar into their tent, she quickly gave Changmin one last smile and tried to utter a thank you to him.

Changmin just smiled as he silently watched Yuna leaving. He was glad that he was able to save her. She was a very special girl . . .

The camping trip ended quite quickly after that incident.

Days passed . . . . .

Everyone quickly returned to their usual life in school. Yuna returned to being the girl who always loves to read. And Changmin returned to being the boy who every girl in their building sent love letters to.

Somehow nothing changed . . . except one thing . . . One special thing. . . .

Yuna silently stared out at the empty gymnasium. She was silently crying. Somehow she couldn't help but cry. She went there so her tears could have the chance to fall. She had been trying to control herself since she saw him . . .

She started to sob. She couldn't understand why she had to fall for him. Maybe because he saved her . . . or maybe she had always liked him but just kept on denying it.

Her tears continued to fall . . . then suddenly . . .

"Here . . . take this . . . " a voice said as a handkerchief was offered in front of her.

Yuna took the handkerchief and look at the man sitting beside her.

It was Changmin.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Looking for you," he answered.

Somehow Yuna felt like she wanted to cry out much louder. "Why do you have to look for me? What do you want?" she asked with anger.

"Why are you crying?" he asked.

"It's none of your business," she replied with irritation.

"Is it because . . . you saw me with Soomin?" he asked boldly.

"Why should I care if you were with another girl?" she asked back. "My reason for crying has nothing to do with you," she lied.

"Oh . . ." he said with a low voice.

Yuna noticed the hurt look on Changmin's face. "I'm sorry. . . If I am too harsh . . . Please forgive me," she quickly uttered.

"It's okay. I just saw you running away. I was concerned so I followed you," he confessed.

"So . . . is . . . the girl you were embracing . . . the girl you told me about in the cave?" Yuna tried very hard to utter even though her heart was aching.

Changmin stayed silent. Somehow Yuna took his silence as a yes. And this added more pain in her heart. She knew she needed to leave, or else she would end up crying in front of him.

"I really need to go," she uttered while trying to control her voice.

"No," he quickly uttered. "Please stay for a while. . ."

"Changmin?"

"Please stay . . . I want to tell you about the girl . . . I am in love with . . . please . . . Do you think you can listen to me even for five minutes . . . I really need someone to talk to right now," he said with pain in his voice.

Yuna felt like her heart was going to explode. But she couldn't say no to him. So she just silently sat beside him until he started to speak again.

"You know the girl I am in love with . . . is a very special girl. She's not like the other girls here in school. She's nice and studious. . . simple and sweet . . . quite beautiful in her own right. Sometimes stubborn and naughty . . . but most of the time . . . totally admirable. She's the main reason why I am studying in this school. I wanted to be near her. I wanted a chance to be with her. I wanted a chance to show her how I feel about her," he started to say.

Yuna felt like her heart was getting heavier with every word that he spoke. But she just continued to listen.

"The first time I saw her was in a party. She didn't really see me. But I saw her. She was with some friends. She totally took my breath away. And ever since then I promised myself that I would do everything just to have her by my side. So I transferred here. . . I thought being in the same school would help me in getting close to her. But somehow my plans didn't really work. She had her own plans in life. And somehow her plans didn't include any man in it. I tried so hard to get close to her. But every step I make in moving forward . . . she would easily take two steps backward. Do you know how frustrating it was for me? I was totally going out of my mind. I didn't know what I was doing wrong," he said as his voice changed.

Yuna slowly looked at Changmin. And to her surprise . . . he was crying.

Changmin looked at Yuna with tears in his eyes. "I loved that girl from the moment I laid my eyes on her. And as the days passed by . . . my whole world already revolved around her. It was like my day wouldn't be complete if I didn't see her smile or I didn't see her laugh. I was always behind her . . . looking for a chance to say one simple hello."

Yuna didn't know what to do. Somehow she wanted to comfort him but she knew she wasn't allowed to. He already had someone in his heart.

"Changmin. . . I'm sorry . . . But I really can't help you. I really need to leave," she uttered as she quickly stood up and turned away. She was already in the middle of the gymnasium when . . .

"The girl I like . . . The girl I like . . . is YOU! I love you Yuna!" Changmin quickly shouted.

Shocked, Yuna slowly turned to look back at Changmin.

"The girl I like is you . . . Yuna," he repeated again as he approached her.

Somehow Yuna couldn't believe what she just heard.

Changmin was already standing in front of her. Face to face, they stood and stared deep into each other's eyes.

"I love you . . . Please tell me . . . is there a chance that you can love me back?" he asked with so much pain in his eyes.

"Changmin," she uttered.

"Please give me a chance to show you how much I love you. Please give me a chance to make you happy," he uttered again.

Yuna felt like her entire world was spinning. Somehow she was asking herself if what was happening was real.

"How can you say you love me . . . when I just saw you embracing another girl?" she asked with pain in her voice.

Changmin smiled. "So it is true . . . you were jealous of Soomin?"

Yuna looked away. But Changmin quickly lifted her chin to face him. "Soomin is my cousin. And she is the one who helped me to transfer here. You're the only girl in my life Yuna. Please believe me."

Yuna's heart was already singing in total joy with the words that Changmin was saying.

"Are you telling me the truth? Why should someone like you . . . like someone like me? You're popular, rich and smart. You can have any girl you like . . . So why do you choose me?" Yuna asked with hesitation.

Changmin gave Yuna the most sweetest smile. "Tell me . . . can you teach your heart who to love? You ask me why I chose you? It's simple . . . you are the one that taught my heart how to love without asking anything in return. I know my heart will still choose you over and over again. . . in this lifetime and the next . . . Please don't doubt my feelings for you. I love you and I am willing to do anything just to prove it to you."

Yuna's tears fell. This time she wasn't crying because she was sad or hurt, but because she was happy. She quickly wrapped her arms around Changmin. His words was already enough to melt her heart. She believed him. . . and she loved him.

"I love you too . . . Changmin," she uttered happily.

Changmin slowly looked into Yuna's eyes, and with complete gentleness he slowly covered her waiting lips. Their kiss was gentle and full of love. It was like everything was spinning around them. They were so involved into their kiss that they didn't realize what was happening around them.

Unknown to Yuna and Changmin, the school basketball game was about to start. .

And as they passionately kissed each other, almost half of the school's students hurriedly went into the gymnasium . . . ready to watch the game . . .

Everyone was shocked . . . Changmin was kissing a girl. Almost all the girls were heart broken with what they saw.

While some of the guys who knew Changmin just smiled and started to cheer.

Startled, Yuna and Changmin quickly stared at where the noise came from.

As soon as the boys saw Changmin was staring at them, they instantly cheered and congratulated him.

Yuna felt so embarrassed. "Changmin . . . this is so embarrassing," she uttered.

Changmin laughed. "At least this way everyone will know that I am yours and you are mine. No one will dare court you now," he said with a maddening smile.

Yuna couldn't help but laugh. "Silly! As if someone else would actually get interested in me."

Changmin slowly took Yuna into his arms again. "I just want to make sure . . . I can't afford to lose you. You are my life Yuna. You are the one that makes me smile when I am sad . . . the one who makes me laugh when I am in pain. I love you . . ." and as he said those 3 wonderful words, he slowly gave Yuna the everlasting kiss that they were both going to cherish until the day they grew old….

The whole crowd cheered as Changmin kissed Yuna. Somehow they had never seen a much sweeter sight than two lovers finding each other.

------ 20 years later….

"What are you looking at dear?" Yuna asked her husband.

Changmin smiled and handed his wife an old photograph.

Yuna smiled. "Hmmm…. You still kept it?" as she looked at the picture that a student from their school took. It was the picture when Changmin first kissed her in the school gymnasium.

"How could I not keep it? It is a lasting memory that I will always remember for the rest of my life," he answered with joy in his eyes.

"You know… I never really thought that my life could have a sudden u-turn after I met you," Yuna uttered.

Changmin lovingly pulled his wife into his arms. "U-turn? And what do you mean by that?"

She laughed. "I always thought that I would be spending my life alone. But then you came . . . and things just changed."

Changmin suddenly held his wife tighter. "I am so happy that I was able to get hold of your heart. I really don't know what would have happened to me . . . if I didn't meet you."

Yuna lovingly embraced her husband. "I wouldn't be able to imagine my life without you Changmin. Thank you for entering my life."

-------

"Mother . . . Father . . . Dinner is ready," Amira called out from the kitchen.

"Mother . . . Father . . . hurry. The food is getting cold," Siara also called out.

Changmin and Yuna both laughed. They had forgotten their daughters were in the house.

"Coming," Changmin replied.

"Come on, dear. We still have more memories to make," Yuna lovingly uttered as she held Changmin's hand.

Together … hand in hand … Changmin and Yuna stood up and went straight to the kitchen.

Just like in the forest … they had been going through all the thorns and scratches of life together. But never … not even once … did they let go of each other hand.

As they held each other's hand tightly, they knew they could overcome any obstacle or problem that may come their way. As long as they held each other's hand . . . they would be able to take any u-turn in life without any difficulty.

Hand in hand . . . together . . . that's the way they will always be….


End file.
